You Are Not Alone
by P.J. Lowry
Summary: Oliver Queen and John Diggle return to the mansion after a very long day only do discover it isn't over yet...


Oliver and Diggle were returning home to the mansion after a bout of fighting crime and bringing some hardened criminals to justice. It had been a very long week for Arrow, formerly known as the Hood, and Oliver was eager to get home and eat something before crashing for the night.

Ollie looked at his watch to realize that it wasn't that late. "When was the last time we got home this early?"

Diggle checked the time himself. "It's been a while but don't focus on it. The last thing you want to do is jinx us."

"Fair enough." Ollie said he sat back and relaxed. When Diggle pulled up to the house, Oliver let himself out. Diggle didn't need to open the door for him, those days were long gone and Ollie was capable of opening a door.

As they were both going through the main doors, Diggle got a text message. "Ollie, Felicity just asked us to turn on the news."

Oliver looked back at Diggle. "Seriously? We just got back."

"Oliver!" a voice called out. "Is that you?"

Oliver knew his sister well enough that when she called out for him, he could sense the panic in her voice. He quickly strolled into the living room and noticed that Thea and Roy were both watching television. Even Oliver's mother was in the room and her hand was shaking as she tried her best to hold whatever she was drinking. "Mom, what's going on?"

As Oliver and Diggle came deep enough into the room, the answer was clear. They were all watching a live news feed. The headline at the bottom was enough to render Oliver speechless.

**UFO Sighted: Amateur video from witnesses on the ground.**

Oliver had though he'd seen everything but this was clearly something new. The alien spacecraft looked enormous and much like a trip-pot as it had three legs that were obviously made for ground landings. "This is unbelievable."

"This had to be a joke." Diggle said as he could hardly believe it.

"I wish it was." Roy replied, "It's on every network. They even cut into the football game to cover it."

"Several cities have spotted it." Thea said as she couldn't take her eyes off the screen. "This footage was taken in Metropolis."

Oliver didn't know what to say. Before anyone could respond to what Thea had said, that's when the lights went out. Thea let out a small whimper as Ollie and Diggle tried to find a source of light. "This flashlight isn't working?"

"Neither is my cell phone." Oliver said as he put his back into his pocket.

"E.M.P?" Roy suddenly blurted out.

"It's possible." Diggle replied, "Would explain why nothing works."

For a second everyone thought the power was coming back on, but the only thing that turned back on was the television. It was showing nothing but static but provided enough light for everyone to see one another again. Moments later, the television started repeating the same message over and over again:

**You Are Not Alone. **

"What the hell does that mean?" Roy asked.

**You Are Not Alone.**

"I don't know." Oliver answered, "But I have a feeling it's not a coincidence this is happening less than a few minutes after the UFO was spotted."

**You Are Not Alone.**

Ollie's Mom was so shocked by what she was watching, that she almost dropped her glass. Oliver walked over and took it from her and then helped her to the couch to sit down beside Thea.

**You Are Not Alone.**

"Look." Diggle said he held up his cell phone. "My phone is receiving the same signal as the television."

**You Are Not Alone.**

Oliver looked down at Diggles phone and it was repeating the same message. Whoever this UFO was, they were making a grand effort to make sure their message was received by as many people as possible. He wondered how many nations were receiving this message or if it was just North America.

**You Are Not Alone.**

Suddenly the message stops and is replaced by a distorted face that looked menacing, like a man wearing a mask. Before anyone could respond, the distorted figure on the screen began to speak.

_**My name is General Zod. **_

_**I come from a world far from yours.**_

_**I have journeyed across an ocean of stars to reach you. **_

_**For some time, your world has sheltered one of my citizens. **_

_**I request that you return this individual to my custody. **_

_**For reasons unknown, he has chosen to keep his existence a secret from you. He will have made efforts to blend in. **_

_**He will look like you … but he is not one of you. **_

_**To those of you who may know of his current location, the fate of your planet rests in your hands. **_

_**To Kal-El, I say this: Surrender within twenty-four hours or watch this world suffer the consequences. **_

The moment Zod's message is complete, the lights come back on and the television has gone back to the channel it was on before the power went out.

"That didn't sound hostile at all." Diggle said with a hint of sarcasm.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Oliver said as he checked on his cell phone. It was functioning as if nothing had happened. He dialed a number and waited for someone to answer. "Felicity, I assume you saw this alien broadcast?"

"_I did."_ Felicity answered, _"The alien ship broadcast it through the RSS feeds." _

"So the entire country saw the same message?" Oliver asked.

_"Ollie, the entire world saw it." _Felicity corrected.

"The entire world doesn't speak English." Ollie noted.

"_I know that."_ Felicity said with a tone of annoyance. _"From what I'm gathering through the web chatter is that this Zod guy broadcast his message across the world simultaneously in over two hundred languages!" _

"So what you're telling me…" Ollie started, "Is that this alien just threatened the entire planet."

"Pretty much." Felicity said, "What do you want me to do?"

"Keep watching the chatter. John and I are on our way back." Oliver hung up the line and looked back to his mom. "Are you all right?"

"I'm not sure." Her mom said as she overheard what he just said. "Where are you and Diggle going?"

"Back to the office." Oliver answered.

"Now?" Thea asked, rather confused.

"Preparations have to be made that can't wait." Oliver said as he left the room with Diggle right behind him. He could tell Diggle was just as worried as he was. "What happens in twenty-four hours if this Kal-El doesn't surrender himself?"

"I'm not sure." Diggle replied, "But it can't be good."

"What makes you say that?" Oliver asked.

"This Zod person referred to himself as a General." Diggle answered, "I don't know about you, but if he's a Genreral… that means he has followers."

"Possibly an army." Oliver concluded.

Diggle sighed as he walked out of the mansion. "So much for crashing early tonight."


End file.
